Road-cart



'(No Model.)

C. GUMINGS.

ROAD CART. No. 394,836. Patented Dec. 1

end of the dash-board.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICEQ CHARLES CUMINGS, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

ROAD-CART.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 394,836, dated December18, 1888. Application filed September 3, 1888. Serial No. 284,486. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES CUMINGS, of Cincinnati, in the county ofHamilton and State of Ohio, have invented a new and use ful Improvementin Road-Carts, which improvement is fully set forth in the followingspecification and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sideview of the cart equipped with my improved adjustable spring. Fig. 2

a top view of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of theadjustable spring; and Fig. l, a perspective view of one of the sidelimbs of the frame, showing the application of the metallic re-euforcingstrip on the side.

The object of my invention is to provide a road-cart with adjustablesprings and to construct the frame in a rigid manner; and the noveltyconsists in the construction of the frame and seat and in thecombination of the frame and seat with the spri n and shafts, all aswill now be more fully set out and described.

It first consists of a frame and seat the forward end of which ishinged. to a forwardlyprojecting spring and the rear end suspended on ahanging adjustable spring, so that the height of the seat can beregulated and the weight of the occupant of the seat adjusted; secondly,the side pieces of the frame or bed are made of wood, re-cnforced ontheir inner sides with metal pieces, all of which willnow be set forthin detail.

In the accompanying d rawin gs,A represents the axle having suitablewheels. The rear ends of the shafts I3 have their rear downturned endsattached rigidly to this axle at points near the hubs of the wheels.Curved cross-bars C 0 on the upper side serve to hold the shafts inproper relative positions to each other. Centrally to these thesingletree D is pivoted.

Heretofore in devices of this kind the'frame for the seat and dash hasbeen usually made of long pieces of wood bent or curved in a pcculiarmanner, and the elastic action of the seat has been obtained by means ofsprings between the frame and shafts at a point about midwaybetween theseat proper and the front This structure has largely on the frame and inthe location of the springs.

Hy invention contemplates a very rigid frame, and that the elasticmotion of the seat shall be caused by the peculiar hinging of the frontend of the frame and the location of the springs with relation to theseat and shafts.

The frame or bed is composed of the side pieces, I, which are suitablymitered and framed together so as to form angles for the dash F,foot-board G, and seat H, as shown in Fig. 1. By the side of these limbsis a re-enforcing metallic strip, 1, made in one piece and securelybolted to and upon all the pieces E, composing the limb, as shown indetached Fig. 4. Each forward upturned end of the bed or frame is hingedto the forward end of a slightly and downwardly curved spring, J, therear end of which spring is bolted to the under side of the shaft-piece15. At a point slightly to the rear of the angle K, formed by thejunction of the dash and foot board, is a hook, L, and directly abovethis hook, on the inner side of the shaft-piece B, is a similar hook, M.To these two hooks are attached the opposite ends of thepeculiarly-constructed spring, which I will now describe.

The base is composed of a circular ring, N, having on opposite sides twoexteriorly-proj ectin g ears, 0, provided with holes. The ring has onits'upper side an annular flange, P, and a ledge, Q, inside of theflange. The stirrup R has each of its limbs at the lower endscrewthreaded and adapted to pass through the holes in the ears 0, nutsS being screwed thereon to hold the stirrup and ring together.

The spring T is conical in shape,- and so coiled that its base, which isthe larger part,

.will fit within the annular flange I" and rest on the ledge Q.

U represents a rod having at its lower end an eye, V, and its upper endscrew-threaded. The upper end of this rod passes through the upperreduced end of the coiled spring, and is held therein by means of a nut,\V. The upper end of this stirrup is attached to the hook on the shaft13, while the eye V of the rod U is attached to the hook on the limb Eof the bed. The rear end of the bed and the seat are therefore suspendedon the spring T,

and the forward end of the bed is also capaits disadvantages in puttingthe strain so ble of a slight vertical movement through the medium ofthe spring I. In action, the user can adjust the rod up or down in thecoiled s 'n-ing' by means of the nut \V, thereby enabling the seat to bethrown higher or lower, or to emnpensate for any additi mal weight whichmight be plaeed on the seat. The structure of this spring" is sueh thatthe least opportunity is offered for lode'ment of dirt, while theflanges are an elleetiuil proteeiion to hold the spring in place.

\Vhat I elaini as new is- 1. In a road-eart, the frame eonsisting of theside pieces, E, suitably mit ered and trained to form angles for thedash, toot-board, and

seat, and seeured to metal side strips, 1, each each side of the frameand slightlytothe rear of the angle K between the dash and footboard.

An adjustable springforroad-carts,coinposed of the base-rin providedwith side ears and on its upper side an annular flange suspended on astirrup, in combination with a eonieal eoiled spring mounted on saidbasering, its enlarged part Within the flange oi? the ring, and avertical rod having an eye at its lower end and sermv-threaded at itsupper end, and provided with an adjusting-nut, substantially as hereinset forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I. have hereunto set my hand,this 145th day of l ebruary, NR8, in the presence of \vitnesses.

CHAS. (UMINGS Witnesses:

Btu HANAN PERIN, R. S. MILLAR.

